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CONSTITUTION 



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Organized 




DeC'jmlier 2, 1865 



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San Francisco, Cal. 



Amended and Adopted August 25, 1893. 



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CONSTITUTION 



-OF THE- 



^ociety of (California Volunteers. 



P R E A^M-B -L^E . 



We, the undersigned, having been California 
Volunteers in the service of the United States 
during the late Rebellion, and deeming it honor- 
able and worthy of commemoration to have 
served our country in its hour of peril, and being 
desirous of perpetuating the friendships and ties 
engendered during that period, and of cultivating 
social intercourse in the future, do form ourselves 
into an Association, and adopt the following 
Constitution : 

Article I. — Name. 

This organization shall be known as the Society 
OF Cai^ifornia Volunteers. 



CONSTITUTION. 



ArticIvE II. — Officers. 

Its Officers shall consist of a President, ist and 
2d Vice-Presidents, a Recording Secretary, a 
Corresponding Secretary, and a Treasurer. 

ARTICI.E III. — Board of Managers. 

The Officers shall together constitute a " Board 
of Managers," which shall have sole control and 
supervision of the affairs of the Society, subject 
only to the provisions of this Constitution, and 
such by-laws and resolutions as may be from time 
to time adopted. 



ArticIvE IV.— Membership. 

The following persons may be admitted as 
members : 

Section i. All officers and enlisted men who 
were mustered into service in the State of California; 
all officers and enlisted men of the First Wash- 
ington Territory Infantry, whose companies were 
recruited in California ; and all officers and 
enlisted men of the Second Massachusetts Cavalry, 
who entered the service as citizens of California, 
each of whom shall have received honorable 
discharge. 



CONSTITUTION. 



Sec. 2. All who were citizens of California at 
the outbreak of the Rebellion, and held commis- 
sions in the Army or Navy of the United States 
during the War, or any of the above being still in 
the United States service, or honorably discharged 
therefrom. 

Sec. 3. The eldest sons (who have arrived at 
their majority) of members, and of those eligible 
to membership— other than Honorary Members. 

Sec. 4. The Society may elect as an "Honorary 
Member" any person who may have been an 
officer in the Military or Naval service of the 
United States during the War of the Rebellion. 



ARTIC1.E v.— Ki<ECTioN OF Members. 

Section i. Every application for membership 
must be made on blanks furnished by the Corres- 
ponding Secretary, which shall be signed by the 
applicant, and be recommended in writing by 
three members, at least one of whom will further 
vouch by letter for the candidate's worthiness. 
The application must be accompanied by an 
admission fee of not less than $2.50, which will be 
refunded in case of non-election. 

Sec. 2. The name, address and military record of 
every applicant for membership, together with the 



CONSTITUTION. 



names of the members recommending him, ^hall 
be published in a circular and be referred to a stand- 
ing Committee of Investigation, consisting of three 
members, to be appointed at the annual meeting to 
serve for one year, which committee shall report 
in writing at the next stated meeting. Upon the 
reading of the report the President shall formally 
request any member who has any objection 
thereto, or reasons against the election of the 
applicant, to state the same if he so desires. Each 
member present shall be entitled to one vote, and 
if not more than two ballots be cast against the 
applicant he shall be declared elected. 

Sec. 3. An application for membership may be 
withdrawn before report thereon, or after favorable 
report and before ballot ; but if the report be 
unfavorable, the candidate must be balloted for. 
Whenever the Committee of Investigation deem it 
necessary, it can ask for and shall receive further 
time to make its report, without debate. 

Artici^e VI. — Meetings. 

Section i. There shall be an annual meeting 
held on the 25th day of April, that being the 
anniversary of the day upon which Brigadier- 
General Edwin V. Sumner, U. S. A., assumed 
command of the Department of the Pacific in 
1 861 — an event to be remembered as rescuing 



CONSTITUTION. 



the vState from impending treason and civil 
war. At such meeting, the annual reports will be 
made, and the election of Officers held. 

There shall also be quarterly meetings, to take 
place on the 25th of July, October, and January, 
for the transaction of such business as ma)- prop- 
erly be brought before them. 

Should the date of the annual or quarterly 
meetings fall on Sunday, said meeting will be held 
the day following. 

Sec. 2. The Board of Managers may call special 
meetings of the Society whenever it may deem 
necessary, and shall call such meetings at the 
written request of any five members. 

Sec. 3. Ten members shall constitute a quorum 
at any meeting of the Society. 

Sec. 4. The meetings shall be held in the City 
of San Francisco, California. 

ArTICI/E VII.— ElyECTlON OF OFFICERS. 

Section i. The Ofiicers shall be elected by 
written ballot, and in no other manner, and will 
hold their respective offices for one year and 
until their successors are elected and installed ; 
a pluralit}^ of the votes of those present being 
necessary for a choice. 



CONSTITUTION. 



Sec. 2. In case, from anj' cause whatever, a 
vacancy shall occur, such vacancy may be filled 
by the Board of Managers, until the next annual 
meeting. 

Artici^e VIII.— Duties of Officers. 

Section i. The duties of Officers shall be as 
customary in organized associations, together with 
such as are specified in this Constitution, and sec- 
tions of this article. 

Sec. 2. The Board of Managers shall, before 
each meeting, convene for the purpose of making 
suitable arrangements, such as providing a place 
for assembling, arranging a literary programme, 
and attending to such other matters as may give 
interest to the meeting. 

Sec. 3. The Corresponding Secretary shall give 
proper notice of time and place of meetings ; 
shall notify the members of any by law or reso- 
lution adopted, when so directed by a vote of the 
members present ; shall cause to be distributed 
all circulars and other documents prepared for 
their information, and shall keep the P. O. address 
of members, and every change should be reported 
to him. 

Sec. 4. The Recording Secretary shall keep a 
"Register," and shall enter therein the name 



CONSTITUTION. 



of each member iu full, together with the informa- 
tion furnished in his application, including the 
record of his military history, etc. ; and shall have 
the custody of the Album of the Society, and 
endeavor to have placed therein the photographs 
of all members. 

Artici^e IX.— Badge. 

Section" i. The Badge shall be a semi-Maltese 
Cross, with star points between the arms ; to be 
one and five-sixteenths of an inch in diameter; 
to be made of gold, silver, or other metal, with 
design as follows : two stands of muskets with 
an American Flag resting upon them, surmounted 
with two swords crossed, and a solitary star below, 
in gold ; the flag to be enameled in blue and red — 
and all on a black ground ; to bear the follow- 
ing motto : '■'' Pahnam qui meruit fer at y Badge 
to be worn on the left breast, pendant from a silk 
ribbon, color of same denoting the arm of service, 
surmounted by a metal Seal of the State of Cal- 
ifornia attached to the service or name bar pin. 

Sec. 2. The badge for eldest sons shall be the 
same as the above, but pendant from a red, white 
and blue ribbon, in vertical stripes — to be one and 
one-half inches long in the clear, and one and one- 
quarter inches wide. 



8 CONSTITUTION. 



ArticivE X.— Amendments. 

Section i. This Constitution may be amended 
by a two-thirds vote at any regular meeting, 
notice of same having been given at the next 
preceding meeting, and properly published to 
the members before action is taken. 

Sec. 2. All resolutions and by-laws incon- 
sistent with the provisions of the foregoing Con- 
stitution, are hereby annulled. 

Artici<e XI. — Dues. 

The dues shall be such as may be fixed at any 
regular meeting. 

Adopted August 25, 1893. 




Constitutiou adopted, December 2, 1865. 

Amended, April 25, 1874. 

Amended, July 25, 18S5. 
New Constitution, August 25, 1893. 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



013 642 895 0^ 



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CALIFORNIA YOLUN 



iraRs. 



Regular Meetings in each Year. 



January 25/// — Ouarterh'. 
April ^5^A — Annual Election — Banquet. 
July 25111 — Quarterly. 
October 25th — Quarterly. 



Should any of above dates fall on Sunday, the 
meeting will be held on the following Monday. 

Place oj Meeting: — Occidental Hotel. 
Time oJ Meeting:— ?> o'clock, p. m. 



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